ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center is set to receive its first major renovation in 40 years, with $59 million in state funding allocated for the project. However, the former Riverside Hotel, which is physically connected to the convention center, remains a significant problem.
The Riverside Hotel, once the largest hotel in the county with nearly 500 rooms, has been closed and vandalized since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the convention center’s upcoming renovation, the hotel’s condition continues to deteriorate, with more broken windows visible.
“The elephant in the room or the elephant downtown is this place behind us,” I said to Don Jeffries as we stood under the skywalk between the convention center and the former Riverside Hotel…